News Releases

Sep252013

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – author of S. Con. Res. 7, the bipartisan resolution that makes clear a United Nations Arms Trade Treaty (U.N. ATT) that undermines constitutional freedoms of American gun owners will not be ratified by the Senate – responded to Secretary of State John Kerry signing the U.N. ATT.

“Today’s signing of the ATT is a direct dismissal of the bipartisan Senate majority that rejects this treaty,” Sen. Moran said. “Throughout this process, it has been disturbing to watch the Administration reverse U.S. policies, abandon its own ‘red line’ negotiation principles, admit publicly the treaty’s dangerous ambiguity, and hastily review the final treaty text. It is regretful that the Administration has nonetheless continued to press forward and sign the treaty today.

“By failing to recognize the lawful ownership of firearms or the inherent right to self-defense as fundamental individual rights, the ATT poses a significant threat to our Second Amendment freedoms. As such, I am confident the Senate will overwhelmingly oppose ratification of the ATT, and ultimately refuse to uphold its object and purpose.”

Over the past two years, Sen. Moran has led multiple Senate efforts to express concerns to the Administration about the ATT including:

In May 2012, Sen. Moran spoke on the U.S. Senate Floor about S. 2205, the Second Amendment Sovereignty Act, which he introduced to prohibit funding to negotiate a U.N. ATT that restricts the Second Amendment rights of U.S. citizens;

In July 2012, Sen. Moran drafted a letter signed by 50 of his Senate colleagues and wrote an op-ed notifying the Administration that there was strong enough opposition to block the ATT from Senate passage; and

In March 2013, Sen. Moran introduced S. Con. Res. 7, a concurrent resolution sponsored by 35 of his Senate colleagues, which outlines specific criteria that must be met for U.N. ATT to be ratified by the U.S. Senate and recognized as customary international law. S. Con. Res. 7 has been endorsed by the National Rifle Association, Heritage Action, and the Endowment for Middle East Truth.